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As is the case each and every season, each and every week, any omission below is not on purpose, it’s merely intentional.

PLAYOFF TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN’?
It wasn’t the earth-shattering, landscape-shifting tumult that it could’ve been, but it was enough to, once again, shake the playoff picture up all over — especially at the latter half of the Top 10.

Stanford, No. 7 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, suffered its second loss of the season while No. 10 Utah did the same, effectively putting the Pac-12 on a precarious playoff precipice if not outright pushing the Power Five league over the ledge. No. 9 LSU, coming off the loss to Alabama, saw its playoff hopes go up in smoke with an embarrassing loss to Arkansas.

Even more impactful, No. 6 Baylor fell from the ranks of the unbeatens to a No. 12 Oklahoma squad that will now be very much in the thick of the playoff chase.

That said, the remaining teams in the most recent Top 10 held serve, including the first five. To varying degrees, No. 1 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Iowa and No. 8 Oklahoma State struggled in closer-than-expected wins. The key word there, of course, is “wins.”

Conversely, No. 2 ‘Bama put together the most impressive performance of Week 11, a 31-7 shellacking of No. 17 Mississippi State in Starkville. Along with the Sooners, the Tide may have gained the most tonight in the eyes of the committee.

Will it be enough, though, to leapfrog an unbeaten Clemson into the No. 1 hole? I think it will, but it wouldn’t shock me either way. That said, and armed with the knowledge that (pats self on back) I nailed the committee’s top four last week (pulls muscle patting self on back), here are the four teams I believe will occupy the first four slots when the newest rankings, the third of the year, are released this Tuesday.

Alabama

Clemson

Ohio State

Notre Dame

For some perspective, here is how the top four looked after the third release of last year’s CFP Top 25:

Mississippi State

Oregon

Florida State

TCU

Neither Mississippi State nor TCU would end up qualifying for one of the four playoff spots. The two that did, Alabama and Ohio State, were No. 5 and No,. 8, respectively, with four releases remaining. With three releases remaining last year, which is what’s left this year, Alabama, Oregon and Florida State were Nos. 1-3, while Ohio State was No. 6 (Mississippi State was No. 4).

Looking ahead to next weekend, the sport could be in for yet another significant shakeup as Ohio State will host No. 13 Michigan State; Oklahoma State will see Baylor invade Stillwater; Oklahoma will square off with a wounded and 15th-ranked TCU in Norman; and No. 14 Michigan will take a dangerous road trip to Penn State.

CONFERENCE CHASE CLARITY
With Clemson (ACC Atlantic) and Florida (SEC East) clinching in Week 10, we entered Week 11 with seven Power Five divisions/conference up for grabs. Exiting Week 11, no divisions were decided, but more than a couple came closer to being claimed.

Below are the remaining scenarios for each P5 conference.

ACCCoastal
Thanks to 6-0 North Carolina’s win over 5-1 Pittsburgh earlier this year, the Tar Heels have total control of the division. In order to claim its first-ever spot in the ACC championship game, all UNC needs to do is either beat Virginia Tech next weekend or North Carolina State in the regular-season finale the following weekend. For Pitt, they need UNC to lose both of those games and beat Louisville in Week 12 and Miami in Week 13.

BIG TENEast
Ohio State (6-0), Michigan State (5-1) and Michigan (5-1) all held serve with conference wins in Week 11. If OSU wins both, they’re back in the Big Ten championship game. An MSU win over OSU this Saturday and over Penn State in the final game of the regular season gives the division to the Spartans. UM, because of its loss to MSU earlier in the season, needs their in-state rivals to lose to OSU and then beat the Buckeyes themselves the week after.

West
At 6-0, and with a win already over 5-1 Wisconsin, Iowa needs to simply win one of its two remaining games — vs. Purdue, at Nebraska — to claim its first-ever West title. UW can still win the West, provided it wins out (at Maryland, vs. Northwestern) while the undefeated Hawkeyes lose out. A three-way tie between Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern (4-2) is possible, but the tiebreaker would go to the Hawkeyes based on their 2-0 record against the other two.

BIG 12You’d be lying if you said you thought before the season began that the road to the Big 12 title would run through Stillwater, yet that’s exactly where we stand with three weeks left in the regular season. All that stands between Oklahoma State and a conference championship — and a likely punched playoff ticket — are two rather sizable obstacles: Baylor in Week 12, Oklahoma in Week 13. An OSU loss in either of those, however, would send the conference plummeting into chaos. Or, it’d clear things up if it’s the Sooners, more respected by the committee, who win out. As has been the case throughout the first 11 weeks of the season, this conference won’t be decided until the end of November — unless OU loses to TCU and OSU drops BU in Week 12, of course, which would hand the Big 12 to the Cowboys.

PAC-12North
Stanford claims the North if it beats Cal in the Big Game. Oregon can claim the division with a Stanford loss and wins over USC and Oregon State — in Eugene — the next two weeks.

South
With 4-3 UCLA’s stunning last-second loss to Washington State and 5-2 Utah’s double-overtime loss to Arizona, it’s 5-2 USC that suddenly controls its own destiny in the South thanks to the Trojans’ Oct. 24 win over the Utes. Wins over Oregon and UCLA the next two Saturdays would give USC its first berth in the Pac-12 title game. Utah will need to win out against UCLA and Colorado and have USC lose at least once to win the division. UCLA would need to win out against Utah and USC and have both of those teams lose out in order to claim the South outright. A three-way tie is also a possibility as USC, Utah and UCLA could all finish 6-3. In that scenario, UCLA would win the North based on a 2-0 record vs. the other two.

SECWestFor 6-1 Alabama, it’s simple: Beat Auburn, and ‘Bama is headed back to the SEC title game as West champs. A loss in the Iron Bowl, though? Ole Miss could claim the West with wins over LSU in Week 12 and Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl in Week 13. Arkansas can still claim a share of the division, but can’t earn a spot in the conference title game as they would lose out on a three-way tiebreaker with Ole Miss and Alabama and a two-way tiebreaker with ‘Bama.

SATURDAY RESETBelow is a list of links for all of the Week 11 gamers/pertinent pieces posted by the CFT crew, placed in one handy and convenient space for you, our beloved and dear readers.

CFT TOP FIVEA snapshot look at how my ballot would look Sunday if I, ya know, had a real vote.

1. Clemson — After the big win over Florida State, Clemson might’ve been due for a letdown against Syracuse. They were, but they still managed to take care of business and chugged along its unbeaten way. (Last week: No. 1)Next up: vs. Wake Forest, Nov. 21

2. Alabama — The ass-whoopin’ ‘Bama put on Mississippi State, coupled with the struggles of the team that was right above them in my eyes, was enough for me to get in lock-step with the College Football Playoff committee. As was the case with the Buckeyes around this time last season, I don’t know if there’s any team in the country that wants to face the Tide right now. (Last week: No. 3)Next up: vs. Charleston Southern, Nov. 21

3. Ohio State — With games coming up against Michigan State and Michigan that will go a long way in determining their postseason fate, you can’t really blame OSU if they were peeking ahead. Based on how they played, for the most part, against Illinois, that peek was actually a full-blown stare. (Last week: No. 2)Next up: vs. No. 13 Michigan State, Nov. 21

4. Notre Dame — Much like with Clemson the week before, I’m relenting on the Golden Domers and tossing them into my top-five mix. The Irish doesn’t do anything that really stands out, yet they do almost everything very well. They’re a fascinating team, and one that you should root for to succeed if you want to see the playoff field expand sooner rather than later. (Last week: NR)Next up: vs. Boston College, Nov. 28

5. Oklahoma State — The Big 12 OSU didn’t look good against a very below-average Iowa State squad, although, in fairness, there’s something about Ames that makes the Cowboys go off the rails. They won in the dictionary trap game on the road, though, and that’s all that really matters. Given all of the tumult above them, OSU should rise in the CFP rankings this Tuesday. Here, not so much. (Last week: No. 5)Next up: vs. No. 6 Baylor, Nov. 21

(Dropped out: No. 4 Baylor)
(Others considered: Iowa, Oklahoma)

HEISMAN RACE, BY THE NUMBERSA statistical look at how the top contenders for this year’s stiff-armed trophy fared this past week.

JT’s Personal Top Fivesman
1. Henry — Going from darkhorse to two straight dominant performances against ranked teams puts the talented running back in the stiff-arm driver’s seat. (Last week: No. 3)
2. Cook — If Cook reads this, he’ll think I have him rated way too low. Don’t believe me? Scroll down to this week’s “he said its.” (Last week: No. 2)
3. Watson — When you’re the quarterback of the No. 1 team in the country, and you put up a career-high of 461 yards of total offense, you have earned yourself a spot. (Last week: NR)
4. Elliott — Were it not for Elliott, the Buckeyes could very well be a two-loss team. That said, it’s hard justifying placing him over anyone else currently above him. Games against Michigan State and Michigan, though, could change that. (Last week: NR)
5. Fournette — The exact opposite of Henry as Fournette was the hands-down Heisman front-runner before back-to-back games that saw him run for a total of 121 yards puts him on the verge of missing out on an invitation to New York City altogether. I still say he’s the best player in the country, but the stat line doesn’t lie. (Last week: No. 1)

PERSPECTIVE
Normally, the ESPN College GameDay Twitter feed is all about the on-location signs that litter the crowd, tweeting out the best and the funniest and wittiest throughout Saturday morning. After the horror in Paris Friday night, signage seemed a little too trivial, save for one.

#PRAYFORPARIS
If the Army football players running out onto the field prior to its game against Tulane with both the American and French flags flying doesn’t give you chills and/or goosebumps, you have no soul.

HOCKEY ASSIST OF THE YEAR
LSU pulled out your standard no-look-touch-pass-for-a-score play against Arkansas. In fact, the only thing missing was a stick. And a net. And a goalie. And some ice. Never mind the hockey analogy; just watch the clip.

THE ROUND MOUND OF TOUCHDOWNS
I’m a fan of big-boned touchdowns, thus I’m a huge fan, so to speak, of Baylor’s LaQuan McGowan. This is sheer poetry — and size — in motion as the, ahem, tight end notched his third career touchdown.

STATE OF KANSAS FOOTBALL
Kansas has lost an FBS-worst 13 straight games. They’ve also lost 38 straight games played away from Lawrence and 31 consecutive conference road games. As if that’s not bad enough, and just to add visual insult to on-field misery, KU’s equipment personnel can’t even get their Big 12 helmet stickers correct. Either that or it was a bassackwards tribute to the old Big 8.

SORRY, CHARLIE
Following Texas’ win over West Virginia last season, Charlie Strong, and with the aid of his players, did some crowd surfing in the postgame locker room. A year later, following the Mountaineers’ win over the Longhorns, his counterpart, Dana Holgorsen, responded in kind.

GRIDIRON GRAPPLIN’
On most fall weekend afternoons with the Iowa football team not in action, Kinnick Stadium sits empty. As this is Iowa, and they’re really into their grappling, they decided to hold a wrestling match on the football field and in one of the stadium’s red zones. And it actually looks pretty damn cool.

It was a quick turnaround for the stadium crew as the unbeaten Hawkeyes took the field a few hours later for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff against Minnesota.

GROUND CREW SMACK
North Texas was paid $1 million for its trip to Knoxville to Tennessee. Suffice to say, the Mean Green wasn’t fond of the playing conditions inside Neyland Stadium, and perhaps thought UT should’ve put some of that guarantee toward field repairs.

HE SAID IT
“It felt amazing. It felt better than it does in here right now. It’s too hot in here right now. I was sweating out there. It was a beautiful day out. Thank God for that. I’ve never had a November in Iowa, from what I can remember, that has been this nice.” — Iowa wrestler Thomas Gilman, on what it was like to wrestle outside at Kinnick Stadium.

HE SAID IT, THE SEQUEL
“Once again, I’m sure television loves us.” — Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, following a comeback win over Iowa State that was fueled by a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

HE SAID IT, THE THREEQUEL
“I know that if I had any choice at tailback in the country, I got mine. I think I speak on behalf of the team. He’s a tough guy.” — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, after watching Ezekiel Elliott rush for 100-plus yards for the 15th straight game.

HE SAID IT, BONUS EDITION
“I just feel like I run the ball how I run the ball. If I keep doing me, because I’m Dalvin. I am one of them great running backs that are in college football.” — Florida State running back Dalvin Cook, humbly stating his Heisman case.

HE SAID IT, THE FINAL ONE
“Just want to comment about the environment. The fans were fantastic. Sold out, black-out crowd, and the energy was present from the time we came up pregame. Just an electric atmosphere. To be involved in this program 26 years now, these are the things our players will remember their entire lives. So just want to compliment our fans and thank them.” — Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, following a five-point win over Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium.

STREAKING
With 10 wins to start the 2015 season, Ohio State has pushed its nation’s best winning streak to 23 straight. Clemson (13), Oklahoma State (12), Houston (10) and Iowa (10) are the only other FBS teams with double-digit win streaks, while North Carolina has won nine straight.

On the other side of the won-loss ledger, the “proud” owner of the nation’s longest losing streak is Kansas at 13 straight, followed by UCF (11), Eastern Michigan (nine), Louisiana-Monroe (eight), SMU (eight), Charlotte (eight), Hawaii (eight), Maryland (seven), Boston College (six) and Oregon State (seven).

GOING BOWLING
Entering Week 11, there were 51 teams that had secured bowl eligibility. Exiting the weekend, there are now 62 teams eligible for the postseason with three weeks left in the regular season. The newest additions this week total 11: Arizona, Arkansas, Cal, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas Tech and USF.

There are 40 bowl games this season — counting the two College Football Playoff semifinals — meaning 80 teams will need to reach the six-win threshold in order for teams with sub-.500 records to remain where they belong: at home during the postseason.

MY FIRST (AND LAST) ANNUAL REMINDER THAT…
UMass football will be leaving the MAC following the conclusion of the 2015 season. The Minutemen will play as football independents in 2016 and 2017 and then reassess their situation, deciding whether to remain independent, move to another conference (AAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt are possibilities) or drop back down to the FCS level.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK I
Alabama has played more games against Mississippi State than any other opponent. The two border rivals met for the 100th time on the gridiron Saturday. Tennessee (98) and Vanderbilt (82) are the only other opponents ‘Bama has played at least 80 times.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK II
Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has 278 career wins, the most of any active FBS head coach and sixth on the NCAA’s FBS all-time list. Beamer trails only the icons of the game in career wins in Joe Paterno (409), Bobby Bowden (377), Paul “Bear” Bryant (323), Glenn “Pop” Warner (319) and Amos Alonzo Stagg (314). To give some perspective, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher has averaged 11.6 wins a year in his first five years as a head coach, the best mark in league history. Fisher would have to average 11.6 wins a year for the next 19 years, or until 2034, to pass Beamer on the all-time wins list.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK III
Of the 128 FBS teams, just eight players with junior eligibility have received their undergraduate degree and are now pursuing their Master’s:

S.I.D NOTE OF THE WEEK IV
Baylor (8-1), Oklahoma (9-1), Oklahoma State (10-0) and TCU (9-1) of the Big 12 are a combined 36-3. No other Power Five conference has four teams with one-or-fewer losses.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK V
Since 2012, Trevone Boykin tops all players nationally in percentage (56.8) of his team’s total offense (12,613/22,199). No one else is above 50 percent.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK VI
Ohio State has won 17 consecutive true road games (games on an opponent’s home field), the longest such streak in the nation and extending the school record. The Buckeyes are undefeated, a perfect 17-0, in road games under head coach Urban Meyer, or since the start of the 2012 season.

OFF THE CHARTSCourtesy of the Alabama sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART IICourtesy of the UT-San Antonio sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART III
Courtesy of the Ohio State sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART IVCourtesy of the Temple sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART VCourtesy of the Louisiana Tech sports information department

SAY WHAT?
Baylor can join BYU (1983-85) and Houston (1966-68) as the only FBS teams in history to lead the country in total offense in three consecutive years. The Bears led in that category in 2013 and 2014, and came into Week 11 leading with 665.6 yards per game (TCU was No. 2 at 621.4 ypg). BU put up 416 yards in the loss to Oklahoma Saturday, although that shouldn’t jeopardize their standing entering Week 12 as TCU was held over 200 yards under their average.

YOU DON’T SAY
During Frank Beamer’s 28 previous years at Virginia Tech, 20 different power conference schools have had six or more head coaches, including five schools in the ACC: Pittsburgh (8), Boston College (7), Louisville (7), North Carolina (7) and Miami (6). Three schools — Pitt, Stanford and Vanderbilt — have had eight different coaches during the time Beamer has been the head coach at Tech.

DULY NOTED
Utah’s Devontae Booker has handled the football on 305 plays this season, the most of any FBS player. Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and San Jose State’s Tyler Ervin are next with 300 and 292, respectively.

DID YOU KNOW THAT

… with 204 yards against Mississippi State and 210 against LSU last week, Derrick Henry became the first player in Alabama history to rush for 200-plus yards in back-to-back games? He also became just the second Tide back to rush for 200 or more yards three times in a single season, joining Bobby Humphrey in 1986.

… Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, in addition to breaking the all-time FBS record for rushing touchdowns, now has 81 total touchdowns in his career to tie him with Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon for second all-time? The twosome trail the 83 of Wisconsin’s Montee Ball.

… Matt Johnson was held under 300 yards passing (269) for the first time since December of 2013 in Bowling Green’s 41-27 win over Western Michigan Thursday night? Johnson had thrown for 300-plus in all nine games this season plus one last season — the opener, in which he sustained a season-ending injury — after being held to 272 in the 2013 Little Caesars Bowl loss to Pittsburgh the day after Christmas.

… Florida State’s Dalvin Cook is averaging 189.4 rushing yards per game (947 in five games) against FBS teams with a winning record, the most in the nation? Second is Alabama’s Derrick Henry at 163.7 (1,310 in eight games).

… Ralph Webb has set school rushing records for freshmen and now sophomores in the first two seasons he’s seen the playing field at Vanderbilt? Webb is already ninth on the school’s all-time rushing list.

… Iowa State’s Mike Warren is the first freshman in Cyclones history to rush for over 1,000 yards? He’s also only the seventh Big 12 freshman ever to top 1,000 yards.

… Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich is the only FBS player to lead his team in tackles every game this season? Matakevich currently leads all FBS players in career tackles.

… Tulane linebacker Nico Marley is the son of former Miami Hurricane linebacker Rohan Marley and the grandson of music legend Bob Marley? The junior is the Green Wave’s leading tackler and is third in tackles for loss.

… the Laufasa brothers at UTEP, tailback Jeremiah and fullback Darrin, are the only brothers on an FBS program starting in the backfield?

… Florida’s Jim McElwain is the third first-year head coach in conference history to reach the SEC Championship Game, joining LSU’s Les Miles (2005, lost to Georgia, 34-14) and Gus Malzhan (2013, beat Missouri, 59-42)?

… Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson replaced Al Golden as a voter in the coaches’ poll following Golden’s firing as Miami’s head coach?

… since 2010, the winner of the Oregon-Stanford game has also claimed the Pac-10/12 conference title? The Ducks beat the Cardinal Saturday night, so we’ll see if this streak continues in 2015.

… Nebraska is only the second FBS team since 2006 to lose four games in which the opponent scored the winning points in the final 10 seconds or overtime? The other was SMU in 2007.

… Memphis is just the third FBS team since 1996 to overcome double-digit deficits in five or more games in a single season? UofM’s five such comebacks this season are tied with 2005 UCLA, and one behind 2000 North Carolina State’s six.

… Clemson’s 13-game winning streak ties the school record set from 1980-81?

… North Carolina’s nine consecutive wins is the longest one-season winning streak at UNC since 1914 when the Tar Heels won 10 straight?

… Iowa is 10-0 for the first time in school history? C.J. Beathard is the first Hawkeye quarterback to ever win his first 11 starts (10 this season, one in 2014).

… Washington State has eight players with at least 20 receptions this season, the most of any FBS team? Texas Tech is next with seven.

… Arkansas State has put together five consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1949-53?

… BYU, Fresno State, Georgia State, Louisiana-Monroe, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV are the only FBS teams to play road games in four different time zones this season?

… with two each, Nevada, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest have the fewest senior offensive players on their respective two-deep depth charts?

… Minnesota, Navy and Northwestern are the only three schools in the country that have had the same offensive staff (all coaches) for the last five seasons?

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The race for the College Football Playoff is a political campaign, about separating your candidate from the rest of the field. So here’s No. 12 Oklahoma’s stump speech: sure they lost to Texas, but after Saturday night’s 44-34 win at No. 6 Baylor, they’re they only candidate on that stage to win in Waco in the last three calendar years. Beyond that, they’re the only team to make the Bears look mortal.

The Sooners ended Baylor’s FBS-leading 20-game home winning streak – becoming the first visitor to ever win in McLane Stadium – by dominating the line of scrimmage on both ends.

Samaje Perinerushed 28 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while Baker Mayfielddanced his way to 270 passing yards and three touchdowns while rushing 76 times for another score.

The defense, meanwhile, manhandled the Bears’ attack, closing in on freshman Jarrett Stidham throughout the evening to the tune of two sacks and eight tackles for loss. Outside of its drives to open the first and second halves (18 plays, 155 yards, 13 points), Baylor looked – gasp – average, with six punts, two interceptions and one fumble to go with three additional touchdown drives.

Stidham completed 16 of his 27 passes for 257 yards with two touchdowns and two picks, while Shock Linwoodgrinded out 21 carries for 103 yards. Devin Chafinrushed 13 times for 49 yards and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma led 20-13 after a back-and-forth first half and allowed the Bears to immediately tie the game on their first possession of the second half. Then the Sooners took over. Mayfield hit Shepard for a seven-yard score to re-take the lead, then got the ball back a minute later and cleared Perine for a 55-yard touchdown sprint, pushing the lead to 34-20.

Stidham hit LaQuan McGowanfor a five-yard score to pull the Bears within 34-27, then clawed within 37-34 with a 17-yard scoring strike to Jay Leeat the 10:29 mark of the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma marched 78 yards in 10 plays on its next possession – consuming 5:42 in the process – as Mayfield found Dimitri Flowers for a seven-yard score on third-and-goal.

Stidham was intercepted on Baylor’s next play, and Oklahoma secured the win it needed to jump itself into the thick of the College Football Playoff race.

Oklahoma (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) will likely be favored in its final two games against No. 15 TCU (in Norman) and No. 8 Oklahoma State (in Stillwater) over the next two weeks while rooting for chaos elsewhere. Baylor (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) would need about three earthquakes to jump back in the race, as the Bears are likely delegated to spoiler status as they work to claim a third straight Big 12 title and secure a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

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As is the case each and every season, each and every week, any omission below is not on purpose, it’s merely intentional.

B1G PROBLEMS… FOR EVERYONE
The Big Ten entered Week 5 with the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams. That conference could, and likely should, exit the weekend without a team in either slot.

There is one thing I can type with a great degree of certainty: there will be a new No. 1 come Sunday afternoon. Ohio State’s performance, albeit on the road and against a much-improved — and unbeaten — Indiana squad, is not in and of itself enough to knock the Buckeyes out of the top spot. However, when you add in the struggles at home against a MAC school last week… and their struggles at home the week before that against another MAC school… and their struggles the week before that against a school not even located on the United States’ mainland, and OSU simply isn’t the best team in the country. I realized that a couple of weeks ago; here’s to guessing the voters catch up later on today.

And, while we’re kicking B1G teams down the poll food chain, give the boot to No. 2 MSU as well. The Spartans, at home no less, had to hold off a Boilermakers team whose only win this season came against an FCS team and has lost 10 straight to FBS foes. The 24-21 win shows that I, and many others, had long overvalued the Week 2 win over Oregon and perhaps their reputation off that win far surpassed their actual on-field worthiness.

This isn’t to pick on the Big Ten, though. Rather, that conference is merely the biggest symptom of a season in which there is simply not a No. 1 team in the truest sense of the words. Not a single team seems to either want or, more importantly, deserves that top-dog ranking.

No. 3 Ole Miss beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, then loses badly to No. 25 Florida two weeks later. No. 7 UCLA looked to have a case entering Week 5 before struggling with and finally losing to unranked Arizona State, while No. 8 Georgia was taken to the woodshed between the hedges by ‘Bama. No. 4 TCU’s win over Minnesota loses luster with each passing week, and they have yet to face any real competition — Texas included. No. 5 Baylor’s track-meet win over Texas Tech may wow some, but it’s still style over substance and will remain that way until they face their initial test (West Virginia in two weeks?). No. 6 Notre Dame looked early on like it was ranked way too high, then showed some serious stones in its comeback in the eventual road loss to No. 12 Clemson.

So, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s four of the Top Eight teams in the country who saw their perfect seasons go down in flames in Week 5, with most of the remaining unbeatens looking disheveled and not ready for the primetime of the College Football Playoff stage.

Out of all the teams in the top dozen or so, No. 10 Utah may have gained the most in Week 5 simply by being the lone Top 10 team on a bye weekend. No. 9 LSU, meanwhile, is lurking in the background undefeated, with Les Miles‘ charges, which consists of a stout defense, the best running back in the country and a quarterback who plays within himself, seemingly awaiting to pounce and take full advantage of all of the tumult and uncertainty ahead of them.

Let’s simplify the current situation: take any of the teams mentioned above, and pit them against 2014 postseason Ohio State or 2014 regular season Alabama and Oregon or 2013 Florida State or 2012 Alabama; is there a single one of those 2015 teams that would be favored against any of those past teams? Nope, they’d all likely be at least double-digit underdogs, even on a neutral field.

Through five games, there’s simply no clearcut No. 1 or no obvious 1-2 as in the past few years. And, for the life of me, I can’t figure out whether that’s good or bad — although I am leaning toward the former as this could be the most wild and unpredictable season since, what, two-loss LSU won the whole thing in 2007?

All I do know is my personal Top Five below will have a decidedly different look than the week before, and I have the feeling the real polls will too.

SIGHTLESS, BUT NOT SPIRITLESS
Before getting on to more of the stuff y’all really care about, please allow me very quickly to touch on something truly inspirational.

While much has been made of late of the blind long-snapper at USC — and rightly so, incidentally — there’s another player at the same position with a similar disability at Tulane. While Steve Sarkisian has talked of getting Jake Olson in a game with the Trojans, Curtis Johnson has acted on that notion.

In the fourth quarter of Tulane’s 45-31 win over UCF, Aaron Golub was the long-snapper on the Green Wave’s final extra point of the game. Golub, who can’t see out of his right eye at all and has very limited vision in his left, thus became the first legally-blind player ever to appear in an NCAA football game.

And, for those who will no doubt whine and/or cry and/or bitch and/or moan about Johnson making Golub a charity case, just listen to the coach’s own postgame words.

“Every morning I’m up, he’s up in the weight room and he’s working and working and working,” Johnson said. “I would like to play him as much as I can because that’s what you do, you reward kids who work. I don’t care what they are or how they look. This kid works and he’s just like everybody else. I’m going to play him as much as I can.”

Kudos to Golub, and kudos to Johnson for doing what’s right for a young man who’s obviously worked hard at his craft and deserves to be rewarded for it.

FAT GUY IN LITTLE PADSChris Farley struck comedic gold with his “Fat Guy in a Little Coat” ditty in the cinematic classic “Tommy Boy.” Two decades later, the largest man in college football has brought a similar predicament to the gridiron.

LaQuan McGowan is a Baylor tight end who’s listed at 6-7, 410 pounds on the official Bears roster. Prior to today’s basketball-game-masquerading-as-a-football-game against Texas Tech, McGowan did what most players do on game day: don their jerseys and shoulder pads.

When it comes to a man of McGowan’s size, nothing ever comes easy. Unlike most everybody else, his clothing struggles were caught on camera.

CFT TOP FIVEA snapshot look at how my ballot would look Sunday if I, ya know, had a real vote. Also, note that my previous rankings had Michigan State, Ole Miss, TCU, Ohio State and UCLA at Nos. 1-5, in that order, prior to me tweaking the hell out of them this weekend as I just erased everything and started everyone with a blank slate.

1. TCU — Somebody’s gotta fill the spot, and it might as well be the Horned Frogs. The wins over Minnesota and Texas Tech are solid-ish, while they’ve won their other three games (Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Texas) by a combined 125 points. (Last week: No. 3)Next up: at Kansas State, Oct. 10

2. Utah — The win over Michigan in Week 1 looks more impressive as time goes by, although the win over Oregon last weekend is looking less and less impressive the more the Ducks are exposed. The next three weeks, against Cal, Arizona State and USC, will likely tell whether the Utes will have a spot on the national stage going into the last month of the season. (Last week: unranked)Next up: vs. No. 24 Cal, Oct. 10

3. Baylor — BU beat SMU by 35 and Texas Tech by 28; TCU beats those same teams by 19 and three, respectively. The Horned Frogs’ win over the Gophers on the road, though, trumps the Bears’ other two wins (Lamar, Rice). (Last week: unranked)Next up: at Kansas, Oct. 10

4. LSU — One of just five unbeaten teams that have three wins against fellow Power Five schools, with the others being Cal, Florida, Northwestern and Texas A&M. Two of those P5 teams the Tigers beat were ranked at the time, and the third, 3-1 Syracuse, they beat on the road. And that’s my justification and I’m sticking to it. (Last week: unranked)Next up: at South Carolina, Oct. 10

5. Northwestern — Since losing to NU in Week 1, Stanford has won four straight and had moved back up to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll prior to Week 5. Duke, which NU beat on the road in Week 3, is currently 4-1. Finally, the Wildcats beat by 27 the same Gophers team that the Horned Frogs beat by six. So there. (Last week: unranked)Next up: at Michigan, Oct. 10

HOOPS COACH OF THE DAY
Many individuals were excited for the Alabama-Georgia game. One of those individuals was UGA basketball coach Mark Fox, who went very public in his support for the football Bulldogs.

SCARIEST. MAN. ALIVE.Shawn Oakman is one of the most intimidating physical presences in college football today. When the Baylor defensive lineman starts quoting a foreboding Edgar Allen Poe classic on Twitter prior to a game? Get the hell out of his way, especially if you’re standing between him and a quarterback. Or a good sandwich, even.

TAKING A BITE OUT OF THE OPPOSITION
If you were playing West Virginia or Notre Dame or Wake Forest or myriad other teams Saturday, you couldn’t eat your opponents in the days leading up to a game, at least not the way current laws are structured. If you’re Ole Miss, and you’re playing Florida? Yeah, you could. And the Rebels did.

HE SAID IT, THE THREEQUEL
“The dam broke and unfortunately we just didn’t have enough counterpunches to get back in it. … We got whipped, we all know it and we’ve got to do something about it.” — Mark Richt, following Georgia’s shellacking at the hands of Alabama.

HE SAID IT, BONUS EDITION
“It’s an insane game, that’s how it’s been. You can’t breathe for a half-second. If you have any hair, it’s blowing backwards and the game is screaming the whole time.” — Art Briles, following a game in which Baylor and Texas Tech nearly put a combined 100 points on the scoreboard.

HE SAID IT, THE FINAL ONE
“We’re turning the ball over at an alarming rate. That’s obviously a difference in the game. And at some point, that’s going to bite you. We have to fix that.” — Urban Meyer, portending future doom for his Ohio State Buckeyes if they don’t start cleaning things up.

STREAKING
Five wins to start the 2015 season have pushed Ohio State’s nation’s best winning streak to 18 straight. Up next are TCU (13), Memphis (12, a school record), Michigan State (nine), Navy (eight), Clemson (seven) and Toledo (seven).

On the other side of the won-loss ledger, New Mexico State still owns the nation’s longest losing streak, which is now at 14 straight. The second-longest negative streak falls to Wyoming (eight), followed by UCF at six in a row and North Texas at five in a row. Kansas deserves its own special sentence as the Jayhawks are the not-so-proud owners of the longest losing streak amongst Power Five conference members at seven straight.

MY ANNUAL REMINDER THAT…
… Kansas State was historically abysmal before the arrival of the Wizard of Manhattan: Bill Snyder currently has 190 career victories as Wildcats’ head coach, which are 151 more than any other coach in the football program’s history.

S.I.D NOTE OF THE WEEKMatt Johnson in Week 4 became the first player in Bowling Green history to have four 400-yard passing games in a career. He accomplished that feat in the first four games this season as he had 400-plus yards in each. Johnson had “just” 324 in Week 5.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK II
Since 1980, TCU’s Gary Patterson leads all college football coaches with six winning streaks of 12 games or more. The 55-52 victory at Texas Tech in Week 4 enabled Patterson to break a tie with Florida State legend Bobby Bowden.

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK III
Entering Week 5, eleven FBS players have a run of 80 yards or longer this year, but Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida was the only one with two. He also led the FBS in 70-yard runs (three) and 60-yard runs (four).

S.I.D. NOTE OF THE WEEK IV
Duke is 4-4 in its last eight games against ranked foes after losing 47 straight to ranked opponents (November 6, 1994 to October 25, 2013).

S.I.D NOTE OF THE WEEK V
Cal’s victories in consecutive weeks at Texas and Washington marked the first time the Bears had won back-to-back road games in consecutive weeks since 1993 at Stanford (Nov. 20) and Hawai’i (Nov. 27). The Bears played back-to-back road games in consecutive weeks 27 times in between.

OFF THE CHARTSCourtesy of the Georgia Tech sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART IICourtesy of the Wyoming sports information department

OFF THE CHARTS, PART III
Most shutouts since 2010, courtesy of the Stanford sports information department

SAY WHAT?
Georgia Tech hasn’t been shutout at home in 361 games, tying BYU (1975-2003) for the longest such streak in NCAA history. Tech was last blanked at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Nov. 30, 1957, a 7-0 loss to in-state rival Georgia.

DULY NOTED
Louisiana-Monroe is the only FBS program that will play eight road games this season. ULM is also just one of four teams that play three consecutive conference games on the road, the others being Arkansas, Arkansas State and Florida. Finally, ULM is one of six teams, the others being FIU, Middle Tennessee State, San Diego State, UMass and Western Kentucky, that will not play back-to-back home games in 2015.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

… Leonard Fournette has run for 200-plus yards in three straight games, the first time in the storied history of the SEC that’s happened? The LSU running back’s 864 yards are the most in the first four games since at least the 2000 season, and likely the most since Barry Sanders‘ record-setting 1988 season.

… Boise State’s Jeremy McNichols is only running backs in FBS with multiple rushing touchdowns in all five games this season?

… with four receptions, Cal’s Bryce Treggs is now tied for fifth all-time in receptions with 167? The individual he’s tied with is his father, Brian Treggs, who played for the Bears from 1988-91.

… TCU’s KaVontae Turpin had two career receiving touchdowns before catching four in the win over Texas?

… Boise State’s Darian Thompson and Donte Deayon have 17 career INTs, one away from tying the Mountain West record held by Utah’s Eric Weddle? Both Thompson and Deayon had one pick each in Saturday night’s dismantling of Hawaii.

… TCU has defeated Texas in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1958-59? Those back-to-back wins have come by 30 or more points; prior to last year, TCU had beaten Texas by that margin just once in the history of series that dates back nearly a century.

… Alabama’s 28-point victory margin in the 38-10 win over Georgia is the largest winning margin ever by a Crimson Tide team against a Top-10 team at an opposing site?

… Memphis and Temple are both 3-0 on the road, serving as the only teams in the nation with 3-0 road records?

… with its late loss to Illinois, Nebraska becomes the first team since at least 1940 to lose three of its first five games in the last 10 seconds or less?

… Florida State has opened up a season without an offensive turnover in four straight games for the first time in the football program’s history?

… North Carolina is the only team this season that has not had a punt returned against it? Baylor and Navy had both entered Week 5 without having one returned against them.

… Air Force and Toledo are the only teams that have not allowed a sack this season?

… Iowa is the only team that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown? Navy hadn’t allowed one before Air Force got one in the fourth quarter of its 33-10 loss to the Midshipmen.

… Duke had not started 4-1 or better in consecutive years since 1962-65 prior to this season’s 4-1 start? The Blue Devils also recorded a win against ranked teams each of the last three years, a first for the Program since 1955-60.

… Navy is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2004? The Midshipmen finished that season 10-2.

… Baylor is now 4-0 for the third-straight year, the first time that’s happened since 1915-17?

… Indiana is now 0-16 all-time against top-ranked teams, including an 0-6 mark against Ohio State?

… Boise State, Bowling Green and Toledo, with two each, are the only Group of Five teams this season with more than one win against Power Five opponents? The Falcons are the only one of that trio to win both of their P5 games on the road.

… Temple played three straight road games to start the 2015 season and won all three for the first time in the program’s history?

… Boston College became the first ACC team and only the fifth FBS team this century to permit 225 or fewer yards in each of the first four games of a season? BC allowed 228 in a 9-7 loss to Duke.

… San Jose State has allowed just nine passing touchdowns since the start of the 2014 season, a stretch that includes 17 games? Penn State is next with 13, followed by Temple’s 14, Clemson’s 15 and Duke’s 17.

… there are three schools at the FBS level that have three offensive lineman on their roster who are listed at least 6-7? That tall trio consists of Florida State, LSU and Penn State.

… Washington State has sold out five games since Mike Leach took over as head coach in 2012? Prior to his arrival, Wazzu had sold out one game the previous five seasons.

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It’s not often that we delve into the world of high school football, but we’ll make a small exception — figuratively speaking, of course.

In Southern California, there’s an offensive/defensive lineman at Riverside Martin Luther King High School whose name is John Krahn and goes by the nickname “Junior.” Even though he didn’t crack the varsity roster until his sophomore season, the current senior is viewed by some recruiting services as a Div. 1 prospect on down the road.

The reason? His size. And by size we mean, “holy hell, look at the size of that man-child.”

You see, Krahn stands 7-feet tall and weighs in at a whopping 440 pounds. While Baylor’s LaQuan McGowan draws oohs and aahs for his 6-7, 410-pound frame, Krahn would tower over not only every other high schooler in the country but nearly every football player at any level in college as well. And would take them on a scale as well.

Currently, the tallest player at the FBS level is Arkansas Dan Skipper, who’s listed on his official bio at 6-10. USC’s Zach Banner and South Carolina’s Mason Zandi are listed at 6-9. Purdue’s Corey Clements, at 420 pounds, is one of the only ones in his neighborhood when it comes to weight.

To put the sheer size of the high schooler in perspective, MaxPreps writes that Krahn is “attempting to shed some pounds by adhering to a 3,000-calorie diet comprised mainly of fish and chicken.” It’s highly unlikely Krahn will go the FBS, or even FCS, route right out of high school, with a JUCO the most likely starting point for his collegiate career.

However, if he continues to lose weight and work on his footwork, what could his future hold?

“We had Division I coaches on site that said they’d consider offering him if he lost some weight,” USA Football’s Jimmy Thomas told MaxPreps regarding Krahn’s appearance at a developmental football camp over the summer. “They think he could be a force at a lighter weight.”

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For whatever reason, Tre'Von Armstead didn’t play in Baylor’s Week 2 win over Lamar. Now, it appears Armstead’s absence is a permanent one.

Friday afternoon, BU announced that Armstead has been dismissed from the football program. Other than the standard unspecified team rules violation, no reason for the boot being applied to the tight end’s backside was given.

Armstead played in 26 games the past two seasons after redshirting as a true freshman in 2012, starting six games in 2014. He caught five passes for 62 yards that season, and was named honorable mention All-Big 12.

Entering summer camp and on into the start of the 2015 season, Armstead was listed as the Bears’ starting tight end.

Previously Armstead’s backup on the most recent depth chart, McGowan will presumably move up to be the Bears’ starter moving forward. And we can presumably expect a little additional taste of the following…